ANALYSISQuackenbush appeared in just 10 big-league games for the Reds this past season -- all coming in April -- during which he allowed 11 earned runs in nine innings of relief. The right-hander wound up being designated for assignment but remained with Cincinnati's organization and logged a 2.68 ERA and 1.06 WHIP with a 56:11 K:BB across 47 innings for Triple-A Louisville throughout the rest of the 2018 campaign. He will provide some additional depth for the Dodgers' bullpen heading into spring training.

Jan Levine explores the National League free agent pool this week, including a handful of starting pitchers from the Braves and Dodgers.

Past Fantasy Outlooks

2017

2016

2015

Quackenbush made a career-high 60 appearances for the Padres last season, working mostly as part of the bridge to the ninth inning and racking up nine holds and a pair of saves along the way. With the acquisition of Carter Capps and the emergence of Brandon Maurer as a shut-down reliever, it's now less likely than ever that Quackenbush will emerge as a closer in San Diego. For the second straight season, Quackenbush's fastball velocity dipped (90.5 mph), which helped push his home-run rate to a career-worst 1.2 HR/9 mark. Barring a return to strikeout-per-inning levels, Quackenbush is a risky option for owners seeking holds since his 2016 skills suggest that he is a middle reliever with a limited ceiling at this point. The Padres also may opt to limit his exposure to quality left-handed bats after he yielded a .292/.361/.466 line against them last season.

A successful run in the closer role late in 2014 put Quackenbush on the map as a potential low-cost source of saves entering 2015. However, he did not even break camp with the big club, as the team sent him to Triple-A after trading for Craig Kimbrel a day before the start of the regular season. Quackenbush found his way back up to the majors less than a month into the campaign, but he worked primarily in low-leverage situations (two holds, no saves) and posted a 4.65 second-half ERA. To be fair, Quackenbush, working almost exclusively with a fastball-curveball combo, held his opponents to a far lower batting average and missed far more bats after the All-Star break while also cutting his walks, and he appears to be one of the frontrunners for the closer role again with Kimbrel dealt to Boston. However, nothing is certain heading into spring training, and his leash likely will be relatively short if he does earn the job.

Quackenbush started the 2014 season as an unassuming reliever at Triple-A El Paso, from which he experienced four separate callups between Apr. 25 and May 15. Shortly thereafter, he experienced a fifth and remained a member of the Padres’ bullpen for rest of the year. Acting as a middle reliever off the bat, his performance warranted a promotion to setup man following the trade of long-time closer Huston Street after the All-Star break, and Quackenbush eventually took over the starring late-inning role when Joaquin Benoit was shut down in late August due to a sore right shoulder. During Quackenbush’s run as closer, he prevailed in all five save situations, and his peripheral numbers on the year should provide a chance to secure the closer’s job in spring training, despite San Diego’s financial commitment to Benoit.

More Fantasy News

Clears waivers

PCincinnati Reds AAA

April 25, 2018

Quackenbush cleared waivers Wednesday and was outrighted to Triple-A Louisville.

Quackenbush remains in contention for one of the two openings in the Reds' bullpen, MLB.com's Mark Sheldon reports. "Quackenbush has had a nice spring," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "He's been the off-the-radar guy that has really pitched very well. He's extremely prepared, and he has great confidence in his fastball for a guy who has a really good curveball and isn't really overpowering as far as the sheer velocity numbers, but he's a guy that pitches with that elevated fastball extremely well. He's been really good about every time out."